Buhari appoints Antonia Simbine as NISER DG — first woman to ever lead the institute

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Antonia Taiye Simbine as the director-general of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER).

Sufuyan Ojeifo, special assistant, media,  minister of state, budget and national planning disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

The appointment will take effect from June 1, 2022.

Simbine is to take over Folarin Gbadebo-Smith whose tenure expires on May 31, 2022.

Following the appointment, she becomes the first woman to be appointed director-general of the nation’s apex research institute.

According to the statement, Simbine is a professor of political science and international relations and currently heads the knowledge management development department at NISER.

Prior to her appointment, she was a researcher at NISER in Oyo state.

She became a research professor in 2010 and also the director of the social and governance policy research department (SGPRD).

Simbine has also served, published, and consulted in areas such as the public sector, legislature, politics, and elections in Nigeria.

NISER is a public research institution located in Ibadan. The centre is one of the foremost publicly funded think-tanks in the country.

NISER’s products and activities include publications of conference proceedings and research findings, organising training workshops, and seminars.

In 2006, a failing National Manpower Board was merged with NISER.